The horses, from Thames Valley Police, are part of Operation Shadow 3 that aims to show offenders police mean business in the fight against crime.

They also hope the sight of mounted police officers on Wednesday will make people more aware of thefts.

There were 35 burglaries between 26 August and 13 September in the northern area of the town.

Lock up

Police said 17 homes burgled recently had been left with open or unlocked doors and windows.

Sgt Chris Hillery, who is in charge of Wednesday's operation, said the use of the horses in high profile patrols in the Broadmead Avenue area was a mark of how seriously police were treating the issue.

"I hope the sight of police horses on their streets will really bring home to local residents the fact that there is a problem with burglary in their area," he said.

"Local police are trying to tackle it, but we need their help too and they really can do something about it."

He said half of the families recently burgled could have saved themselves the difficulty and unhappiness of the experience by locking up.